tell me what you think
I decided to post the play i had to write for my drama class
Unsaid
Setting: Jenny’s House, Outside Jenny’s House
Time: Present
Characters: Ryan: 18, Jenny’s boyfriend, leaving for college in California
Jenny: 16, Ryan’s girlfriend, doesn’t want him to leave
Jenny is at a home with a few chairs and small homely accessories.
Ryan knocks on Jenny’s door.
Jenny jumps up excitedly and opens the door with a nervously excited face.
Jenny: Well?! Did u get the letter?!
Ryan: (sadly) Yea, I got it alright.
Jenny: [pause] I’m sor-
Ryan: (suddenly ecstatic) I GOT IN JENNY ! I MADE IT! I’M GOING TO COLLEGE IN CALIFORNIA!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT ?!
Jenny: Oh my god Ryan! (hugs him) I’m so happy, you almost had me for a minute there!
Ryan: (laughs) Yea, you know me! But seriously I can’t believe I’m actually going!
Jenny: (seems distant) Me either..
Ryan: (looks over at her) Hey, is something wrong?
Jenny: No, no my mind just wandered for a second! This is awesome, have you told your family yet?
Ryan: Nope, as soon as I opened the letter I ran right over here from my mailbox to tell you! Oops I think I might have left the front door open.
Jenny chuckles.
Ryan: Well, I better go now I’ll talk to you later! (jumps up and runs out)
Jenny: (closes the door, smiling, goes to sit down in a chair, spotlight on her) Well, it’s official. He’s leaving for college. (pause) It’s kind of scary knowing its actually taking place. Before when he used to talk about it, I’d think about the day he’d get his letter as a day that would never come but now, a year later, it’s official. He’s leaving, and I’m staying. (pause) Wait, I’m being selfish! What am I so worried about? We still have two months together until the end of summer. I should be happy for him. I AM happy for him, (pause) right..?
-Blackout-
-Lights up to Ryan walking home-
Ryan: (while walking) Oh my god, I think my heart is going a mile a minute. Maybe I’m going into a state of shock (touches forehead) Nah, (chuckles) This is amazing, knowing I’m actually going somewhere in life! Going to California! I don’t think I have a care in the world right now!
-Blackout-
-Lights up to Setting of Jenny’s House-
Ryan is just about to knock on Jenny’s door when she opens it.
Jenny: (surprised) Hey! What are you doing here?
Ryan: Surprise, (pulls out a bouquet of flowers from behind his back) Happy Anniversary!
Jenny: Aww, you’re too sweet. (takes flowers)
They both pause, Jenny walks to be facing the audience.
Jenny: Look at him, look at that face! Look at these flowers? Ugh, I’m so crazy about him, I just want to scream into his face how much he means to me, but I can’t... (goes back to position)
Resume conversation.
Ryan: Oh, it was nothing, I promise!
They go to sit down.
Ryan: (staring at Jenny while she’s admiring the flowers)
Jenny: (meets eyes with him) Why are you looking at me like that ?
Ryan: Oh, nothing, you look really pretty today.
They both pause, Ryan gets up to be facing the audience.
Ryan: Pretty!? SHE’S BEAUTIFUL! SHE’S GORGEOUS! SHE’S BREATHTAKING! Ugh, how lame, and you look pretty today? She looks pretty every day, every second, ever milii second of her entire life! (Looks back at her) I really am crazy about her aren’t I? (Goes back to sit down)
Resume conversation.
Jenny: Aw, thanks Ryan (smiles) I can’t believe we’ve been together for a whole year. It seems like forever.
Ryan: I know, it’s crazy. So much has happened. (Pause) So much is happening...
Jenny: (looks at him) Ryan?
Ryan: Yea?
Jenny: No, never mind.
Ryan: What is it? (puts his hand on her leg)
Jenny: I just remembered, I have something to do, you better go.
Ryan: Wait, are you sure? What’s wrong?
Jenny: Nothing, I mean just go, I’ll call you later.
Ryan: If you say so... (walks out)
Jenny: (closes door behind him) I can’t take it any more! I can’t ever look at him without thinking of how he’s leaving in only a month. I don’t care if I’m being selfish? You can’t be selfish for the way you feel ! I want to tell him how I’m feeling, but I don’t want him to have any reason to not want to go to college. It’s just not fair, I’m only 16 and he’s 18 and off going to college. He’s going to start his new life, while I’m stuck here living the same one. (Pause) I guess what scares me the most is, what am I supposed to do once he leaves? Pick up where I left off before I ever knew him? That’s impossible! I can’t even go a day without seeing or talking to him, and now what? And the worst part is I don’t even think it’s crossed his mind of what he’s leaving behind. Like me. Ugh, I feel sick.
-Blackout-
-Lights up to Ryan in his house-
Ryan: I don’t know what got into her. We were just talking and all of the sudden she was rushing me to get out. I’ve been trying really hard to enjoy all the time I have with her now before I leave, but its just getting too hard. I’m so excited to go, but I’m so scared of my life without her by my side for everything. I’m scared as soon as I leave she’s just going to find some other guy and replace me. Its something she would do you know, force herself to get over me. I can’t stand to think of her with another guy. But, I’d never tell her I feel this way. I’m way too scared of how she’d react. Ugh, I hate this.
-Blackout-
-Lights up to Jenny and Ryan on opposite sides of the stage with two phones-
Jenny: (dials on the phone)
Ryan: (picks up the phone) Hello?
Jenny: Hey babe.
Ryan: How are you?
Jenny: I’m okay, are you excited?
Ryan: Yea, I’m just getting my stuff all together.
Jenny: Can you believe today is the big day?
Ryan: Yea, in a few hours I’ll be in California, in college!
Jenny: Well, I want you to come over, so we can..uh.. talk before you leave for the airport.
Ryan: Of course, I’ll be over there in 10 minutes.
Jenny: Okay (hangs up the phone)
Ryan: (looks at the phone)
-Blackout-
Ryan: (approaching Jenny’s house, knocks on the door)
Jenny: Here we go... (opens the door)
Ryan: (hugs her)
Jenny: (pulls away) Do we have time to sit down and talk?
Ryan: Of course.
(They both sit)
Jenny: Well...
Ryan: This is weird..
Jenny: Why?
Ryan: I mean, here we are, I’m leaving for college in a few hours and we’re sitting in silence.
Jenny: Umm..
Ryan: (pause) It’s not going to be as bad as you think you know, I’m going to call you as much as I can, and I’ll be down here for every single holiday and long weekend, it won’t even feel like I ever left.
Jenny: (pause) Ryan..
Ryan: Yea, Jen?
Jenny: Maybe we should..
Ryan: Should what...
Jenny: Umm..
Ryan: (sternly) Jen..
Jenny: (stands up) Maybe we should break things off, I mean we’ll still be just as close and everything, but long distance relationships never work and maybe it’ll be easier this way.
Ryan: I.. don’t know what to say.
Jenny: Well, we don’t exactly have all the time in the world so why don’t you just say what you’re feeling right at this moment.
They both pause, Ryan walks towards audience.
Ryan: WHAT I’M FEELING?! ARE THERE EVEN ENOUGH WORDS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE TO EXPRESS WHAT I’M FEELING RIGHT NOW? ... I LOVE YOU (said differently) I LOVE YOU? (said differently again) I LOVE YOU.. I guess that pretty much sums it up.
Resume conversation.
Ryan: Well, if you think this is what’s best for us, then maybe we should just leave it at that.
Jenny: (looking surprised) Umm. That wasn’t exactly the reaction I was expecting.
Ryan: What do you mean?
They both pause, Jenny walks to the audience.
Jenny: What do I mean?! I mean I want you to tell me that you don’t want to end things, that you’ve suddenly decided you must stay here in Miami instead of going to college specifically to stay with me. I want you to tell me you love me and that you need me and that you can’t live without me!
Resume conversation.
Jenny: I mean, forget it, this is what’s best. You may not think it now, but in the long run everything will work out just fine. I’ll still care about you just the same.
Ryan: (pause) Well, I guess that’s all we have to say to each other then.
Jenny: Yea, I guess so.
(Both stare at each other, Hug for a while)
Jenny: Good luck Ryan, call me whenever you get a chance.
(Walking towards door)
Ryan: Well Jen, I’ll uhh.. Miss you.
Jenny: Me too Ryan, Me too.
(Jenny closes door, they both stand looking at the door)
Both: I love you.
Narrarator: Everybody loves someone whether they admit it or not. Sometimes, things are better left unsaid. But in the case of Jenny and Ryan, they’ll never know if they had told each other how they had truly felt, if things would have turned out any differently. Don’t loose the chance to tell someone how much they mean to you, because it might just be too late.
The End
by the way, i love critiques!!